The Role of Program Evaluation in a Public School Environment

Educational arena is changing at a rapid pace, and various new programs and initiatives are implemented in public school settings on a regular basis. We utilize innovative approaches and technologies to better the learning environment, and it is our hope that our practices have a positive impact on student learning. The problem is that too often, these initiatives are costly, and they may end up not producing a desired result. Even worse, there may be unintended consequences that undermine not only the initial intent of the initiative, but they also inadvertently affect the entire climate and way of work of the organization.

Every innovation should start with a vision and a question: What are we trying to accomplish? Is this innovation going to help us to obtain our goals? What are the impacts of the innovation on the organizational structure? That is not to say that if an innovation is difficult to implement, we should not attempt to do so. It is important to weigh the relative advantages that our innovation would bring to the table. If we find that the innovation is compatible with our organizational structures, and there is a reason to believe that it would enhance our way of work, it may be time to go for it!

Even then, we must consider our human resources who will have a crucial role in the successful implementation of our innovations. We need trailblazers who's work is visible at our organization, and who can start convincing early adopters to embrace the innovation. Often, these people are opinion leaders or other personnel at our organization who have some type of authority or status that sets them apart from others. Gradually, others would buy in and soon, the innovation is no longer something new, but it becomes part of our way of work.

Job well done! Yes, but... In an organization that is interested in both implementing and sustaining an innovation, we cannot stop here. It is important to engage in thorough program analysis to evaluate the progress and the impact of the innovation. This is where we do not always follow through. After all, who has time to evaluate every step of our work? It is essential however not to underestimate the power of program evaluation. This should be part of the innovation implementation cycle, and not a stand alone piece that is used as an option. Every innovation (successful as well as unsuccessful) should start with a vision and end with a thorough evaluation to ensure its' suitability in our particular situation.

Rogers, E. M. (2003). Diffusion of innovations. Simon and Schuster